Hybrid Wars
by TheHulkandTheHammer
Summary: Welcome to post-war Mission City. A place rocked by the Cybertronians' war. The Autobots thought everything was calming down, but it's only just getting started as the Decepticons plan something that will change life on Earth forever.
1. Chapter 1: Rude Awakening

"Calder! Calder, wake up! You're dreaming again." Calder awoke to her best friend's worried voice. "Mmh, go away." she growled, and rolled over, wanting more sleep, no matter how bad the nightmares. "No, up! You know you're not supposed to sleep through one of your nightmares. They're too violent. You could hurt yourself thrashing like that." "Whatever, Lucas. You worry way too much." came her muffled reply from under the pillow. Lucas glared at Calder, hoping she could feel it through the pillow. It was true, he may have been a little to worried, but she had started to scream... again. "Fine. Do whatever you want. If you fall off your bed and get a concussion, don't blame me. I tried to wake you up, but no! -" "Shut up, Luke. Go ramble to somebody else." Calder snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. Lucas began to reply, but stopped and walked out instead. He would let her wake up on her own terms, then he would try reasoning.

Calder stumbled out of her room a few minutes later, knowing Lucas was right. Those nightmares had plagued her since she was six, when she had seen her parents brutally murdered by an unknown Decepticon. She had vowed to find it and avenge her parents, but so far, there was nothing. It had vanished, and so had her hopes of ever finding it again. She shuffled into the kitchen, grabbed a frappucino and sat down. Even after finding a new home among the Autobots, she still felt out of place. "So, feeling any better?" Lucas asked. "Mmh." Calder replied, the bottle hindering her. "Good. No headache?" "No." "Anything you wanna talk about?" "No." Lucas knew better than to pursue that topic, so he dropped it. "Ratchet wants to see you in a bit, okay? He wants to make sure nothing's wrong." Calder sighed. "Alright." She finished off her frappucino and went to get dressed. Lucas sighed, but before he could do anything else, his comm link went off. "Time for work." he muttered. "Calder, I gotta go! I'll be back in a while, 'kay?" he called. "'Kay." Calder called back.

Calder pulled on her favorite tee and ran to meet Ratchet. On her way out, she grabbed her goggles and her wrench, knowing she would need them at some point in the day. "Hey Ratchet, what's up?" she asked casually as she walked into the workshop. "Ah, Calder. Just who I was looking for." he said with a glance up at her. He put down his wrench and stood. "I'm assuming Bumblebee already told you?" "Yeah. He won't be back for a while, though." Calder laughed. She and Ratchet went through the basics, then he set in on the nightmares. That's when it got uncomfortable for the both of them. "Uhh, well, everything was dark, then there was sudden bursts of flame in the distance, like bombs dropping." Calder described nervously. There was more, way more than she could describe to anyone. It was almost too much to comprehend. She felt like she would explode if she didn't at least attempt to share it. So, she continued on as best she could, and Ratchet listened like he always did.


	2. Chapter 2: Tongue Twisted

_ "This sucks."_ That's what I was thinking as I got slammed by a Decepticon. And you wouldn't believe the pain I was in. But, being an Autobot, it was kinda an occupational hazard, so I dealt with it. After all, Calder could fix me up. I shook it off and came back, catching him with a right hook, busting an optic. "You asked for it. I'm just happy I could help." I snickered. But, of course, I never got to have any fun. "Bumblebee, stop playing. This is serious." Optimus said over the comm link, which totally ruined the satisfaction of beating the slag out of the drone. I sighed, "Sure, whatever. I'm on it." There were only a couple of minor drones left, and Optimus was dealing with Blitzwing. "Piece of cake. I got this." I grinned and assumed my alt form. "Let's dance, boys. I'm feelin' lucky." As I raced towards them, they seemed frozen. Then suddenly, they went alt-mode and ran off, with Blitzwing following above. As much as it was appreciated, it just wasn't right. In fact, something was wrong. Very wrong. "Optimus, call it a hunch, but I think they were getting orders. It's just... weird." "Your opinion is noted, Bumblebee." And just like that, It was over. Nothing else to do but go back and tell Calder about my day.

"Hey Bee, looks like you had fun. You're more banged up than usual." Calder said to me as I came in. "Nah, I'm fine. Nothing major." I blew it off like I normally did, but I was in pain. Calder knew, and she wasn't about to let me get away. "No. You aren't going anywhere until Ratchet takes a look at you. Then you can deal with me." she smirked and went to get Ratchet. I sighed and waited. There was no point arguing when Ratchet got involved. It was only because he cared. He checked to make sure I was still all in one piece, then hesitated and forced a smile. I know what's coming next. "Now, let's have a look at your vocoder, shall we?" He asked a little too cheerfully. I winced as he gently touched the scarred metal on my throat. It still hurt, even though the injury was long healed. _"You alright?"_ Calder asked through our mental link. Even though I had trouble vocalizing, we could still talk. It was a nice change to the lonely silence. _"Yeah, fine. Just wanting to get this over with. You think you can pound out all the dents and give me a new paint job?" _I joked, trying to keep it lighthearted. I hated it when Calder worried. It made me worry, then Ratchet worried, and eventually, everyone was worried. It was a domino effect. A chain that started with Calder, and had been based around her for years. She was a huge help, an irreplaceable part in our machine. Without her, we would all be falling apart.

As soon as I was feeling better, Ratchet told me it was fine to assume my human form. Not that a few dents would have stopped me, anyways. I love being human... well, almost human. It makes me feel like I'm closer to understanding Earth. And of course, it always helps that my vocoder seems to work just fine when scaled down. And I can do so much more with Calder. She's a great person to be around, so positive and fun. Makes me wish all humans were more like her. "Calder! H-hey, wanna s-see that new m-movie?" I asked. It's not that I'm nervous, I know she'll say yes. It's just that my vocoder is still a little off, causing me to stutter. "Oh, yeah. Let me go change, I'll be back!" Calder laughed and jumped up. "G-great! I'll meet you o-out f-front." I called after her. Now I was nervous. Everybody knows I'm totally devoted to Calder, and that list includes Calder herself. And, to be honest, I've kinda got what you would call a "crush" on her. Not that it's awkward or anything. I mean, Ratchet considers her his daughter, and he acts like he's her father. So why is it that whenever I try to tell her, my voice fails?


	3. Chapter 3: Calder Speaks

So, you've met Ratchet and Bumblebee, right? The two Autobots closest to me. Then, there's Wheeljack. He's awesome, but sometimes the explosions are a little too rough. And Ironhide. Best friend you could ever have, if you can gain his trust. I've lived with them since I was six, so nothing "weird" really bothers me anymore. Except the fact I'm half Cybertronian. That still gets to me every now and then. Not that I don't think it's cool, because I do. It's just that, sometimes I wish I could have a normal life, be a normal human girl, and be completely clueless about this war. But that is most definitely not happening any time soon. On the upside, I can do really cool stuff, like make my left arm transform into a double plasma cannon, my favourite weapon. And that's not even the beginning. There's more... way more. And I supppose you're wondering about me? Wanting to know my story, to get a glimpse of my past? Don't worry, It's coming. But first, a little history between Bumblebee and me.

It was mid-March. I was in my backyard looking at constellations. My mom called me in for dinner, but I was stalling. I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to stare into the sky forever. She just laughed and told me to come in, dinner was getting cold. So I obeyed. As I stood to go in, a huge meteor streaked overhead and crashed not too far away, on a hill. Of course, curiosity got the best of me. I just had to go see what it was! But my parents were fearful. They told me to stay away. But I was never really good at listening, so I snuck out to check anyways. It took about 10 minutes to get there, but when I did, I was amazed. There was a strange metal spheroid with even stranger engravings etched into its surface. I crouched to get a closer look, causing the weak edge to crumble. As I slid, I made no sound, just closed my eyes and waited to hit it. But I never did. It felt like something had caught me. A huge metal hand. I opened my eyes and looked into his blazing blue optics. Strangely, I felt safe. He said that I should be more careful, I could get hurt. I asked him his name, and he told me Bumblebee. I smiled and rolled it around on my tongue a few times, liking the way it felt and sounded. _Bumblebee. Bumblebee. Bumblebee._ Then I told him my name, Calder. It was an odd name, but he liked it. He liked me. And I liked him. We became fast friends in that moment, and we shared a bond that would forever change the both of us.

And that, of course, relates to my story. But that's a story for another day. A completely different song and dance. But I'll tell you a secret. The night Bumblebee caught me after I found him, It ignited my spark. The spark that had always been there, but had never had a reason to shine. It was a good thing, but it also allowed me to be targeted. Even with that, I'll never regret that night. The stars overhead, his eyes, the way we could easily talk, and that feeling of safety. That feeling that he would never let anything hurt me. It's still there to this day, and it's stronger than ever.


	4. Chapter 4: Wondering

"Wheeljack! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop blowing up your lab!" Ratchet yelled. He hated when Wheeljack's projects backfired, most in a very firey and violent way. Unfortunately, we were all used to it. We all learned to keep out of Wheeljack's lab at any given point, but especially when he was working. Every time he set to work, progress only spelled disaster for the rest of us. But, it was life. We knew the rules. We keep to them, we stay alive. We don't... well, Ratchet can patch us up, but he'll be pretty mad. "C'mon Ratchet, let him have his fun. After all, he's only trying to help." I laughed back at him. Ratchet glared at me and went to get his customized kit, made just for Wheeljack-related injuries. (Sadly, we've all had at least one, including Ratchet.) _"Calder. Where are you? You were supposed to meet me!"_ I heard Bumblebee's worried voice in my head. _"Relax, I'm fine. Wheeljack's lab just exploded again, so I'm helping clean up."_ I explained patiently, knowing he would understand the need for delay. _"Oh. Sorry. Need me to come back?"_ Bumblebee volunteered cheerfully. He was always willing to help where Wheeljack was involved. They were good friends, so it was only natural. _"Nah, we got this. It's actually not that bad today."_ It was no lie, either. It was slightly less messy than usual, with only the windows blown out, a few crumbly spots in the walls, and the roof caving in. Usually, the whole place was in pieces.

After we finished the cleanup, I went to meet Bumblebee. _"Hey, I'm on my way. Sorry for the wait." _An immediate reply. _"Oh, no worries. I totally understand. You still in one piece?" _he joked. He knew I was fine, but it was hard for all of us to resist making jokes about the almost daily occurrences. I rode my bike down the hill, waving at D'jango as I passed the cafe. I took a minute to respond, just enjoying the wing pushing my hair back. As I crested the next hill, I paused at the top, then leaned forward and pedaled furiously, enjoying the strain on my legs. _"I see you. You really should consider getting a new paint job. I bet every Decepticon in the area could see you right now."_ It was true. He was brightly colored and out in the open, two big don'ts if you were trying to stay incognito. _"Oh, sure. Like you would tell them I was here?" _he snickered sarcastically. _"Don't tempt me."_ I laughed, and stopped pedaling, coasting at a nice pace, not too slow, but not so fast I had no control. He saw me coming and the driver's door opened to Lucas sitting in the seat, waiting. As I rolled to a stop, he stood and walked over. "H-hey Calder." I smiled. His stutter is so cute. He hates it, but it makes him who he is. I love that about him. "Hey Luke. Nice jacket." He looked down and blushed. "Th-thanks. It's old." He was wearing a hoodie that looked like his old body, an '84 Volkswagen Beetle. The hood even included the horns he no longer sported. "Well, I think it's cute. Very fitting." He blushed even deeper. "I d-didn't think y-you liked th-this kind of th-thing." Oh, Bumblebee, you've still got a lot to learn about me.

After we saw our movie, we decided to get some ice cream. "I-I'll b-buy." He had insisted. I agreed, letting him have his way. He was so nice. "That was a great movie, don't you think?" I laughed. "Y-yeah. It w-was f-funny." He grinned. We were both having a great time. I wish this was our first date, or something like that. But I'm pretty sure he likes Arcee... How could I tell him anyways? He'd probably just laugh, not take me seriously. Would it ruin our friendship? _No! Do NOT think like that! Can't you see the way he smiles when he's with you? Have you ever thought that maybe he feels the same way? _No... "Calder? Y-you okay?" Bumblebee's worried voice pulled me back to reality. "Wha- Oh, Y-yeah. Fine." It was my turn to stutter. He smiled softly. "Wanna g-go to th-the park?" he asked, pointing towards the entrance. "Sure." I smiled, trying to convince him I was fine. Maybe I'm trying too hard? _Just calm down, Calder. Enjoy your time with him. Have some fun._ We walked to the swings, where I sat down and stared into the leaves above. I started when I began to move, Bumblebee catching me off guard as he gently pushed the swing. We laughed and stayed that way for a long time, me swinging and him pushing me. _Pure bliss._


	5. Chapter 5: Wheeljack

"Where have you two been? Ratchet's wound up pretty bad." I said as I watched Bumblebee and Calder come in. Calder laughed, "Hey Wheeljack. You locked out again?" I shrugged and pointed to where Ratchet was pacing, muttering to himself. "There's Ratchet. You'd better go see him before he gets too worried." They waved and walked towards the almost-hyperventillating medic. Man, he was a pain, but he was very caring once you got past the hard plating on the outside. A great friend, too. If you could convince him you wouldn't die anytime soon. Something I managed even with the backfiring inventions. Huh, weird. "You two are going to be the death of me, I swear. First, you run off, then you don't come back until late! I thought some Decepticon had gotten you..." Ratchet wasn't going to be done anytime soon, so I tuned him out as he scolded the kids. Looking wistfully towards my lab, I couldn't help but envision the things I could be making right now had I not gotten "grounded". So many possibilities, but nowhere to let them run free. Sad, just sad. A slight tap on my foot brought me out of my reverie. It was Calder. "You okay, Wheeljack? You looked a little... I dunno, spaced out." I chuckled and bent down. "Nah. Just thinking." I said as I scooped her up an placed her on my shoulder. Her favorite spot. She stretched her arms to encircle my neck in something of an embrace. "I've been thinking, too. About everything." she leaned her head against mine and sighed. I smiled, waiting for her to say what she needed to. Even if she didn't, I would still listen. Just not to her voice. To the tiny beat of her heart. It was comforting, knowing that someone so frail trusted me, an Autobot infamous for his dangerous experiments.

"Wheeljack, have you ever felt a certain way about someone, but not be sure that they feel the same?" Calder asked sadly. "Yes. Why?" I replied quietly. "Because I really, really... love Bumblebee. But, I'm not sure he would feel the same, or even take me seriously if I told him." she sniffed, trying not to cry. I felt her arms tighten. "Calder, don't worry. You'll know in due time, I'm certain." I comforted her softly. "Really? You think so?" "Yeah. I know." she stayed on my shoulder, her head against mine, and closed her eyes, thinking. I knew because Bumblebee had asked me the same thing not too long ago. He had explained that he really wanted to tell Calder, but he felt unsure about how she would react. Would she feel the same? I hadn't known, but now I did. I wanted to tell Bee, to put his mind at ease, but I knew if I did, they would never find out for themselves. So I would guard both their secrets, maybe only telling Ratchet. He would never tell a soul.

Soon, I realised Calder had fallen asleep, her face streaked with tears, her arms still around my neck. She was shaking slightly, no doubt having another nightmare. I put her down carefully, then downsized to my human form. I cradled her in my arms and took her to her room, laying her gently in her bed and pulling the covers over her. She looked like an angel as she slept. Now I understood why we all had a soft spot for the tiny half-mech. She was only a sparkling, but she was wise beyond her years, and immensely strong. Even though she was scarred from numerous battles, she was beautiful. "Good night, Calder." I whispered before closing the door. I watched Bee shuffling around, looking for me, so tired he was halfway caught between his human and proto forms. I smiled, and went to help him get back to one form or the other. It was then I realised they were a perfect match. Calder, firey and strong willed. Bumblebee, calm and loyal. They were each the other's other half.


	6. Chapter 6: Latenight Ambush

I worry. It's natural. Calder is like a daughter to me, so If anything happened to her, I'd be devastated. So when Wheeljack told me about Bumblebee and Calder, I immediately worried for both of them. Bumblebee had always been shy, but it had never helped that his vocoder was constantly malfunctioning. Hearing that he was attracted to Calder was a relief, but also a concern. That was, until I heard that she felt the same. Then I felt better. They were great friends, and we were all sort of expecting it to happen anyways. "And you're sure?" I asked, just to confirm. "Positive. But we should let them get it worked out on their own. It'll be a sweeter surprise that way." Wheeljack advised. He was right. After all, it was only a matter of time before they ended up in the right situation. Suddenly, alarms began to blare. "What the slag? What's-" "No time! Move, Wheeljack!" I yelled. A Decepticon attack in the middle of the night. Bumblebee came running out, with Calder close behind. "What's going on?" they both asked in unison. "Attack." was all I had time to say as the roof was ripped off.

Stormcloud laughed. "What's wrong, did we catch you off guard? Good!" He reached down for Calder. "We'll just take the fleshling and be on our way!" he cackled. But none of us were about to let that happen. Bumblebee fired a well-aimed shot at his face, momentarily distracting him. He growled and reached again, this time getting hit with Wheeljack's blaster. My turn. I don't have much in the way of weapons. Just a couple of guns. Bumblebee and Wheeljack continued to fire, keeping him occupied, but he was getting angrier. I aimed as well as I could and fired. Stormcloud got a sable round through his shoulder. "Raaaaaahhh! You will pay, Autobot!" he roared as he retreated. But it was far from over. The barrage continued as Starscream and Blitzwing alternately swooped down, firing shots as they came. Then a couple of Soundwave's minicons joined the fray. Rumble and Frenzy engaged Calder, but she was ready. We tried to fend off the Seekers, but by the time any of us aimed, they were out of range. "Damn, they're too fast!" I heard Wheeljack mutter. Bumblebee agreed as he took a blind shot at Starscream. We were doing all we could, but it wasn't much at the moment.

Calder shrieked suddenly. "Ratchet!" she screamed for me desperately. I felt her hand brush my shoulder and turned to see her being effortlessly pulled from the room. Bumblebee was angry, itching to shoot, but he managed to calm himself from fear of hitting Calder. Blitzwing cackled and brought her to his optics. "What is it, half-mech?" he spat at her. He said half-mech with disgust, as if it were a shame. "Are you scared of ol' Blitzy? You should be!" "Leave her alone and fight somebody your own size!" Bumblebee's radio was staticky, but it got his point across. Blitzwing paused and looked down at him before laughing. "You? _You?_ Oh, you _must_ be joking! You're hardly any bigger than the fleshling! Oh, the little _Bumbler_, playing the hero! Hahahahaha..." Bumblebee seized the opportunity and leapt as high as he could, slamming a fist into Blitzwing's face with such force he was knocked out of the sky. "Maybe next time you'll hold your tongue, _Blitzy._" Bumblebee growled. He landed lightly, catching Calder safely in his hands. Fortunately, she was unhurt. Just visibly shaken, adrenaline clearly rushing through her veins at the moment. As Blitzwing struggled to his feet, Starscream shrieked from overhead. "Decepticons, retreat!" and they all scattered, heading off in various directions, but no doubt to the same destination. We had all just barely survived the onslaught, Calder and Bumblebee both exhausted, with Wheeljack and I feeling a little whipped as well. "You two get back to bed... We've all had a rough time this week..." I sighed. The two young bots obliged somewhat warily. "Wheeljack, I can't keep fighting like this. I'm a medic, for Primus's sake! I wasn't built to fight, or even to hold weapons..." "Just relax, Ratchet. You did fine. After all, without you, who knows how long that would have taken? If any of us had been injured, we would still be writhing in pain. Thankfully, we're mostly okay." Wheeljack placed his hand on my shoulder. "Get some rest, my friend. You need it."

**Finally! A little action, at last! This took forever to perfect, as it was all from Ratchet's point of view. But I finished successfully. So enjoy!**** R&R.**


	7. Chapter 7: Starscream

"Starscream, we had them! Why did we retreat? We could have easily taken the girl." Blitzwing complained. Typical. He was whiney, and right now furious. The little one called Bumblebee had done some damage to his faceplates. "Oh, shut up Blitzwing. Megatron's orders are why we retreated. We can't afford to put at stake everything we've worked for. Not now, at least." I snapped. "And since when are you one to follow orders?" came Stormcloud's comment. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't feeling very forgiving at the moment. "Stormcloud, you smart-ass. You're not one to talk, seeing as you faked your death for millions of years. If I want to follow orders, I will. You, however, listen to me. So shut the hell up!" I growled. Stormcloud was an annoying scrap heap, as far as I was concerned. And that was probably why Megatron had put him on my squad. _Trying to teach me a lesson, eh? You're going to have to try a lot harder. _Skywarp joined us from the east, where he had been following Optimus and a few other Autobots. "Starscream, new intel. Prime knows. Right now, he's waiting to see if and when we act." This was _not _something I wanted to hear. "Very well, then. Go ahead of us and alert Soundwave. Do _NOT_ tell Megatron just yet." "But Starscream-" Skywarp hesitated. I growled quietly, so only he could hear. "Uh... yes, Starscream, sir. Of course." and Skywarp was gone. If the Autobots knew, as Skywarp had said, then we didn't have much time. We needed that fleshling girl, or the entire plan would fail. _The question is, how do we get her?_

"Starscream, you fool. Why were you shooting? You could have killed the girl! We need her alive, if only for now. And I expect you to follow that order even if you follow no other!" Megatron bellowed, rage burning in his eyes. "Of course, Megatron. I wouldn't think of jeopardizing the plan now, not with so much on the line! I will not fail." I bowed my head and grinned, but not so much that he could tell. He turned away. "Dismissed. Soundwave! Come here." Soundwave turned as I walked past. He knew. I glared, letting him know if he told, he was dead. They began to converse softly. I wasn't particularly interested in eavesdropping, so I continued on to the control room. The drones mindlessly followed their orders, all controlled by Soundwave. "What are you planning now, spy? You must be up to something." I murmured as I watched one collect data from Lazerbeak. I soon grew bored and decided to visit the lab. There were a few scientists there, though I knew none of their names. They didn't concern me. They weren't my Seekers, nor were they my superiors. They did not matter, just as no Autobots mattered either. Soon, though, they would all be dead. And the half-mech would do them in. Oh, it was exciting. Even just imagining their hurt when they discovered her betrayal was delicious. So very delicious.

I soon found myself startled from deep thoughts. _Soundwave._ "What do you want, spy? I'm very busy." "Busy staring into space, hmm?" He replied quietly. I growled and opened my mouth to yell at him, but he cut me off. "Save it, Starscream. I didn't tell Megatron. Not yet. But I will. _He needs to know._ Otherwise, we could lose this. You can bet the blame will fall on your head, too." I closed my mouth and though about what he said. "I suppose you're right, spy. But how will we tell Lord Megatron without angering him?" I asked. Soundwave merely shrugged and turned away. "That is up to you." He said over his shoulder, so quiet I almost missed it completely. I watched him, then turned and went to my quarters. There I began to formulate my own plan, one that would distract Megatron long enough for me to carry out some necessary actions. Actions that he would most definetly frown upon. But it does not matter now. Soon I will have what I want, and every surviving Cybertronian will be groveling and begging for mercy at my feet. Until then, I would wait quietly, act on my orders, and get that girl. I needed her, too. She would be the one to make Megatron fall before me, and claim me as the superior. Oh, the joy of that day. I could feel it already. It was so close. _Is_ so close.

**Ok, so this is the last chapter for a while. My mum says I need to spend more time doing other things... And school starts soon. Like, Monday soon. Yay Freshman year. I like to pretend I'm Starscream, so this was a fairly easy chapter. Votes on who's POV I do next? :3**


	8. Chapter 8: Another Nightmare and a Visit

_The world around me dark, shrouded in mist. I hear Bumblebee, but he's so... distant. He keeps repeating my name, calling for me. He wants me to find him, but how? I can't see, and the mist gets thicker, turning to fog as I watch helplessly. I scream out for anyone who can hear me, anyone at all. The only reply I get is Bumblebee saying my name, like a recording being played to mock my fear. Suddenly, everything lights up around me, blindingly bright and extremely hot. I find myself standing in the midst of a burning city, once great, now reduced to rubble. Shaking and trying not to cry, I venture on, now hearing many voices calling me. It's driving me mad. More flames burn on the horizon, outlining more cities like this one. My subconcious tells me I'm on Cybertron. Cybertron... a world I've only heard of, never seen. Now I know why they fled. It's horrible. Seeing all the dead soldiers finally makes me cry. I cry and cry, rocking back and forth and screaming. This is much worse than seeing my parents die... this is utter catastrophe. The ultimate in apocalyptic war scenarios._

I wake up screaming and in a cold sweat. This nightmare was nothing like the rest. It was infinitely worse. My door swung open, revealing Bumblebee. "Calder, a-are y-you okay? W-what's the m-m-matter?" We were both wide awake, but I wasn't about to tell him what I had seen. "Yeah, I'm fine. Another nightmare, s'all." I muttered, pulling my knees to my chest. He knew I was lying, but thankfully he let me be. "D-do you w-want me t-t-to get Ratchet?" he asked. "No need, I'm already here." Ratchet said softly from the doorway. Wheeljack was right behind him. I feel better now, knowing they all care. After explaining and reexplaining that I was fine and convincing them all to get some rest, they left. Bumblebee hugged me. "G'night Calder. See you in the morning." he said as he closed the door. I sighed and laid back down. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was useless. So, I tried laying awake and thinking, but that was worse. I ended up floating somewhere between sleep and being awake, and it was there I found peace.

"Calder. _Calder!_" Startled, I jerked awake, only to find myself in what appeared to be absolutely nothing. "Wha-?" I said sleepily, squinting and trying to find the source of the voice. Looking down, I couldn't see any ground, but walking was still possible. I looked all around as I wandered. I was lost. "Hello? Anybody there? Hello!" I called. "Calder, there you are. Good to see you safe." a gentle voice drifted from everywhere. "Wh-who are you? Where am I?" I asked, getting ahead of myself. A shadow began to walk towards me. "I am Primus, and you are in the Astral plane." He answered calmly. "Primus? No..." I whispered. The shadow stopped. I could see the soft blueish glow of his eyes. Then a hand extended towards me slowly. "If you will, Calder. There is something I must share with you." I took his hand and he led me closer to him, revealing a kind face and a shock of brown hair that fell into his eyes behind his glasses. I stepped back in surprise, bringing a worried look into Primus's eyes. "Sorry... It's just..." I stopped and stared at the ground. "What?" "Well, you remind me of my father..." I wiped away the tears before they fell. Primus put his hand gently on my shoulder. "Calder, that is why I brought you here. You see, It is no coincidence." I looked up. He was right. Everything matched.


End file.
